Sharing the Sky
by Eliyora1
Summary: In the time following the Demon War, three of the champions have taken to traveling so they can help with restoration and healing. This is one such day in their travels.


"Sharing the Sky"

By: Eliyora

A/N: This story is a sort of AU story, and not necessarily canon.

She watched as several men tugged vainly at a rope rigged through a pulley, trying to hoist up a sizable mass of debris that was thoroughly stuck in the mud. They had been pulling for several minutes now, but it was refusing to budge an inch. Sighing, she walked over to them.

"Do you boys need a hand?" she offered politely. One of the men, a large, burly sort of fellow was every inch the picture of a blacksmith, looked her slender frame up and down and raised an eyebrow at her.

"No thanks, little lady. This here's a job that needs some brawn, and I don't wanna see a small thing like you get hurt over it," he responded.

"I'm stronger than I look, trust me," she insisted.

"No thanks little lady," he repeated, turning his attention back to tugging at the rope with the rest of the men.

Rolling her eyes, she walked over to the stuck debris and, with a single hand, grasped it and heaved it up out of its muddy bed. She removed the rope from it with her free hand and, while all of the men who had been struggling watched in stunned awe, carried it to the designated area for discarding rubble and suchlike, leaving it there for later removal. Grabbing a spare rag to clean the mud from her fingers, she walked back over to the still-staring men and smirked.

"I don't like being called little," was all she said before turning and walking away, heading to where her bard companion was. She smiled as she saw him strumming his lute for the children who had gathered around him, eager to forget the tragedy that surrounded them with some music and tales. Quietly so as to not interrupt his performance, she walked behind him and leaned against a nearby wall, waiting for him to wrap up his story.

The bard gave a big smile to the children as he dismissed his lute before their eyes, causing many of them to gasp in surprise and delight. He hopped down from the barrel he had been perched upon and waved to the kids, who complained at his departure.

"Sorry everyone, but I have to go now. Someone's waiting for me. I'll play for you some more tomorrow if you all behave for the adults, okay?" he promised, to which the children called out their agreements and began running off in different directions. With them gone, the he turned to his waiting companion and smiled.

"Hope you weren't waiting too long, Amber," he said, grinning up at her.

She smiled back, her cheeks lightly pink. "No, Ivan it's fine. I've only been here for a couple minutes," she assured him. He immediately latched onto her in a tight hug, which she returned with barely a moment's hesitation, her cheeks turning a light pink. She still was not quite used to the fact that they had both admitted to their feelings for each other, and not a moment passed that she was not filled with joy from him being in her life.

After a few moments, the pair made their way to the tavern, where their surly dwarven companion was surely waiting for them. Just before they entered, a grumpy-looking man stormed his way out of the doors. Casting a confused glance at each other, Ivan and Amber made their way in, only to spy Oin gathering several gold pieces from a table that was littered with cards. It took no time at all to guess what had happened, and Ivan sighed.

"You know Oin, that really isn't fair of you," he chided lightly.

"I was merely occupying my time until the two of you arrived," was the response as the dwarf finished gathering his winnings and reorganized the cards.

Ivan shook his head, but brushed it aside as his smile re-emerged. "Well, at any rate, I'm hungry. Let's get some dinner, shall we?"

"FOOD!" Amber squealed joyously as her stomach gave a loud growl.

The meal passed uneventfully, aside from the occasional person coming to them to thank them for their help. The tavern keeper was baffled by the amount of food the lady ingested, but the otherwise unremarkable evening slowly gave way to night. Oin used his winnings to pay for their lodging, and the three of them made their way up to their rooms for the night. As Ivan and Amber shared their goodnight hugs, she noticed him looking out of the window.

"Is something wrong, Ivan? Something outside?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh! No, no, just noticing it's a really nice night," he responded quickly, backing away sheepishly. "I'll see you in the morning Amber. Night night."

He turned and headed to the room he was sharing with Oin. Amber couldn't help but gaze after him. That had been a pretty abrupt goodnight for Ivan, and now she wondered if there was something going on. It wasn't like him to keep secrets.

She found it difficult to get comfortable in bed now, due to worries about her diamond. After about an hour, she gave up and opted to simply look out at the moon in the sky. After a while, though, she oddly heard the sound of scuffling boots in the hallway. Curious as to who would be up so late, she peeked out of her doorway, only to catch a familiar flash of silver hair turning to head down the stairs. Surprised and now even more worried, Amber pulled her own boots on and made to follow him.

Though she had never been terribly skilled at being sneaky, Amber followed Ivan as he walked a short ways beyond the town borders. His stride was comfortable but full of purpose, and despite his short stature Amber found herself having difficulty keeping up without being spotted. Eventually, he strode up a small hill and sat down upon the grass, staring up at the stars quietly.

She was confused. Why had he snuck out just to go stargazing? Why all the secrecy? It really wasn't like Ivan at all. Just as she turned to leave, though, a gentle voice caught up to her ears, as though spoken by the very wind.

"I know you're there, Amber. I knew you were following me. Please, come sit with me."

Amber looked back up the hill to find Ivan smiling in her direction. Flushing red at getting caught, she climbed up the hill and sat next to him. She looked away sheepishly, scratching the back of her head nervously.

"I kinda suck at being stealthy, huh?" she asked awkwardly.

Ivan giggled. "Yeah, you kinda do," he gently teased before taking her hand in his and squeezing it fondly.

"I'm sorry Ivan... It's just not like you to keep secrets. I was a little worried," she explained.

"Oh. I'm sorry Amby," he said, lifting her hand to his lips to give it a soft kiss. "I didn't mean to worry you. I just wanted to watch the stars since the night is so clear. But, well, I am glad you followed me."

"You are?" Amber asked in surprise.

"Yeah, because now I get to watch them with you," Ivan answered, giving her that big, warm smile of his that she adored. He laid back on the grass and she followed suit, staring up at the sparkling sky with a content smile on her face.

"It's really pretty," she whispered.

"Mm-hmm," was his quiet reply.

"I love looking at stars. It's like looking at the sky's own horde of jewels," she continued.

"Mm-hmm..." Ivan repeated, even quieter than before.

Amber raised an eyebrow at this, but kept speaking. "When I was younger, I used to imagine the moon was Tamara's eye watching over me. It helped me feel less lonely after..." Her words faded away as a soft sniffle reached her ears. She looked over to where her diamond lay, and her eyes widened to see him staring up at the sky and crying quietly.

"Ivan? Are you okay?" she asked in alarm.

Ivan did not answer. Instead, he sat up, took her hand in his, and kissed the back of it again, gripping it tightly as though she were all that held him to the world. Now fully worried, Amber sat up herself and pulled him into her arms, holding him close as he cried softly. They sat there for several minutes as she waited for him to let it out, not knowing what else to do. Eventually, his sniffles ceased and he looked up at her with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry Amber," he said guiltily. "I just... I guess this was why I wanted to come out here alone at first. The things we've been doing, helping people to clean up after the war, bringing them hope and happiness again, it... it makes me remember Cummelus. The Cummelus before I fell off of it. It was our purpose, traveling around, helping and spreading hope and happiness where we could." He looked up at the sky again.

"And watching the stars... makes me think of Papa."

Amber looked down at him in surprise. "Papa? I thought you said you never knew your parents," she asked.

"I didn't. I'm sorry, I meant the village elder who raised me. I.. I always called him Papa," Ivan whispered, leaning against Amber and closing his eyes. "We used to love to come outside and look at the stars in the night sky. It's one of my favorite memories, him telling me the stories of the constellations, talking about all kinds of things, sometimes not even talking, just laying there and watching the night pass by. Those were really happy times..."

Amber hugged him tight as he began to sniffle again. "Ivan, how do you do it? It must be really hard to have gone through what you did, but you're always smiling, always trying to make everyone around you feel happy and hopeful. How do you do that without letting things get you down?"

Even as his eyes shone with tears, he looked up at her with a warm smile. "It is kinda hard sometimes, I won't deny. There's times I just feel sad and lonely when I think about my home and my people. It was even harder when I was travelling by myself, but now? Now it's really easy to stay hopeful and happy. Ever since I met you guys, everything's been so much warmer, and it's just that much easier to believe in tomorrow, you know?

"Having friends like our team, knowing that even when we're apart we're always together, it makes all the difference in the world. And it's even easier to have hope when..." Ivan trailed off, looking away shyly and blushing slightly.

"When?" Amber prodded curiously.

Ivan smiled. "When I'm with the woman of my dreams," he continued. "Someone strong, talented, warm-hearted, kind, passionate, loving, and so, so beautiful."

Amber's face had never felt hotter in her life. At a loss for words, she simply hugged Ivan tightly. Ivan giggled a little at her response, finally wiping away his tears.

"You know Amby, even if I never get to look at the sky with Papa again, I think it'll be okay," he said. "Because now I have you to share the sky with, and with you here with me, the stars have never looked prettier."

"Ivan..." Amber whispered. After a moment, she pulled away from him, stood, and changed to her true dragon form.

"Amby?" Ivan questioned.

She bent down as low as she was able. "Come on Ivan. Let's really share the sky," she replied, smiling warmly at him.

Giving her an adoring grin, Ivan climbed onto Amber's back. Once he was comfortably seated, she spread her wings and launched herself into the night sky, soaring freely amongst the stars together.

Ivan's song for Amber

"Share the Sky With Me"

The soft lights in the sky

Guide us as we fly

Drifting upon the breeze

The moon shows your grace

The starlight's embrace

Set our hearts at ease

Leave the pain of day behind

Solace in night we find

A calm quiet to soothe and free

Soaring upon wings of gold

Hope and love unfold

As you share this sky with me

Under the stars gentle light

Never cease your wondrous flight

The beauty of your soul be free

The woman I so adore

Who always makes my heart soar

Always share the sky with me


End file.
